Toward the Kingdom: The Shape and Message of Psalms 15-24

Patrick Pouchelle and G. Anthony Keddie, "Introduction." Pages 1-22 in The Psalms of Solomon: Texts, Contexts, and Intertexts, ed. Patrick Pouchelle, G. Anthony Keddie, and Kenneth Atkinson, EJL 54 (Atlanta: SBL Press, 2021).

Leaven, 2012

Vaillancourt, Ian J. The Multifaceted Saviour of Psalms 110 and 118: A Canonical Exegesis. Hebrew Bible Monographs 86. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2019. (EProof Book Sample), 2019

Since Gerald H. Wilson's landmark work, The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter (1985), scholars have been divided on how to interpret the appearances of the king in Book V (Psalms 107–150). Many have agreed with Wilson in seeing a disjunction between Psalms 1–89 and 90–150, with Psalm 89 representing the apparent failure of the Davidic covenant, and signalling its replacement by a hope in the direct intervention of Yhwh without a role for a Davidic king. Although others have countered that Book V marks a return of the king, with references to David pointing to renewed hope in the Davidic covenant, in both cases scholars have interacted with the question as it was framed by Wilson. Vaillancourt moves the discussion forward by broadening the question to the portrayal of the figure of salvation in Book V of the Psalms, and by narrowing the scope to detailed canonical exegesis on two of its most salient psalms. Canonical exegesis of Psalm 110 displays a cosmic king at the right hand of Yhwh, who has a willing army at his disposal, who will mediate as priest between his people and Yhwh, and who will also accomplish a definitive victory for the people of God. Canonical exegesis of Psalm 118 displays a suffering and conquering king who leads the victory procession from the battlefield, one whose role resonates with a prophetic figure like Moses (cf. Deut. 18.18), as he echoes the songs of the first (Exod. 15) and of a second exodus (Isa. 12) in his responsive song of thanks (vv. 19–28). In the final form of the book of Psalms, the Saviour in these psalms emerges as an eschatological figure of salvation who encompasses many hoped-for figures from across the Old Testament in one person, the one who will achieve full-scale deliverance for the people of God.

This presentation draws upon the canonical shape of the Psalms (B. S. Childs, 1979; J. A. Sanders, 1987) and follows the scholarly trend of reading the Psalter with Psalms 1-2 as the ‘introduction’ and Psalms 146-150 as the ‘conclusion’ of the Psalter (e.g. G. Sheppard, 1980; G. H. Wilson, 1985) and seeks to propose and argue the following bases for exegeting the Psalms today: 1) That Psalms 1-2 portray an ‘eschatological’ framework which can be projected to the general shape of the Davidic narrative in 1-2 Samuel; 2) On the basis of this interface between the eschatological framework conveyed by Psalms 1-2 and the Davidic narrative, it is proposed that there are three basic categories which can be used to classify each individual psalms, namely, psalms of enthronement (or messianic psalms); psalms of struggle with an enemy and psalms of restoration. This proposal about the classification of the psalms is somewhat like what W. Brueggemann has observed in his Spirituality of the Psalms (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2002). However, I argue, that the proposed way of classification is grounded on the various life stages David went through in accordance with the narrative of 1-2 Samuel; 3) I want to show how the proposed classifications of the Psalter form an interpretive ‘lens’ which a contemporary reader in the Pacific (a person born and raised in the Pacific cultural context) can use to apply the Psalms in their worshipping community. In conclusion, I shall make some recommendations to the work of translating the Psalter.

Part of a larger project on Psalm 146 and its reception, this paper will show how the statements of YHWH’s support for the needy in verses 7–9 of the psalm can be interpreted in at least four different ways in the context of the Hebrew Bible: (1) as good news for those who identify themselves as/with the needy; (2) as a moral appeal to those who can support the needy; (3) as a commemoration of YHWH’s deeds in the past; and (4) as an expression of hope for what YHWH will do in the future. The paper will conclude with a number of hermeneutical reflections: Does Psalm 146 itself indicate a preference for one of these interpretations? Or is it an open text that truly allows for these four different lines of interpretation? If so, how does this help readers today to engage with this Psalm? (Abstract as submitted for the IOSOT conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa, September 4-9, 2016)

2014

This work by Nancy deClaisse-Walford, Rolf Jacobson, and Beth Tanner is the most complete and detailed one-volume commentary available on the Psalms. Significantly, the volume reflects the combined insights of three superior (younger) biblical scholars. DeClaisse-Walford, Jacobson, and Tanner offer a succinct introduction to the Psalter, a new translation of all the psalms that takes special account of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and individual entries on each psalm unit. Throughout the book they draw on state-of-theart research on the canonical shape and shaping of the Psalter and evidence a nuanced attention to the poetic nature of the psalms.

Themelios 44.1, 2019

The NIV Application Commentary series is unique. Any student of the Psalms using this work will quickly find its accessibility a welcoming appetizer before being presented with the main course of world-class Psalms scholarship. This commentary is intentionally designed to be two-way—readers are not only guided backwards to what the text meant in its original contexts, but its meaning and implications are brought forward to bear on the readers’ present context. In this volume, Grant covers Psalms 73–106, while Tucker covers Psalms 107–150. Individually, they have worked on the Psalms for many years. Besides bringing to the table up-to-date scholarship from both sides of the Atlantic, the combination of their strengths makes this second installation a formidable one. Tucker’s earlier work, Constructing and Deconstructing Power in Psalms 107–150 (Atlanta: SBL, 2014), supplied the historical basis for his interpretation of these psalms. Likewise, Grant’s published dissertation, The King as Exemplar: The Function of Deuteronomy’s Kingship Law in the Shaping of the Book of Psalms (Atlanta: SBL, 2004), supplied the literary and theological frameworks for his interpretation of the exilic and Mosaic psalms in books three and four of the Psalter. In other words, they are suitably qualified for this mammoth task. Those familiar with the first volume by Gerald Wilson will be happy to know that Tucker and Grant, who represent a younger generation of Psalms scholarship, have continued the tradition. Even more so, they have now supplied in their introduction what was left unsaid by Wilson (pp. 19–37): two important hermeneutical perspectives—the editorial shape, and the theology of the Psalter. The discussions on the editorial shape of the Psalter have gone somewhat beyond what Wilson had accomplished. For instance, Grant has linked the loss of Jerusalem depicted in Psalm 74 all the way through Psalm 79 and beyond by highlighting certain motifs like “remembrance” (pp. 80, 97, 110, 140, 168, 182). Clearly, the commentary has benefited also from the slew of studies on the canonical shaping of the Psalter since the 1990s.

This excerpt is used with permission of Wipf and Stock Publishers.

2020